Northside’s Purvis makes history with 3rd Pitcher of the Year

Though the season ended short of the conference championship, Georgia Southern University’s Sarah Purvis, formerly of Northside High, made history with her selection as the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year.

Georgia Southern softball took three of the four major awards and added four all-conference players as well as three all-freshman honors as the Southern Conference announced its annual postseason awards. Purvis picked up her third-straight Pitcher of the Year award, becoming the first player in league history to win that award three times.

Additionally, Kourtny Thomas of Houston County High was picked as the First Team All-Southern Conference shortstop while Purvis earned first team honors at pitcher.

Purvis, a senior, led the conference in strikeouts with 247 and opposing batting average at .180. Her 247 strikeouts are the fifth most in a single season in SoCon history and just six shy of her own school record. She finished the regular season with an 18-11 record, and was selected as the SoCon Pitcher of the Week five times this season. Purvis also earns her third-straight First Team honor, joining Nina Iduate and Marie Fogle as the only Georgia Southern players to earn three first team selections.

Thomas was the top vote-getter at shortstop with 14 home runs and a .653 slugging percentage this season. One of the league’s most dangerous hitters, she has been walked 31 times and entered the postseason with a .340 batting average.

Georgia Southern opened the 2014 Southern Conference Tournament with an historical 4-0 win over Elon. Purvis pitched the first no-hitter in tournament history. She fanned 13 batters on the day.

The no-hitter was the sixth career gem for the Eagle hurler (tied for 12th in NCAA history) who improved to 19-11 on the year. She opened the game with seven strikeouts in the first three innings to break her own single season school strikeouts record.

Georgia Southern dropped its first opportunity to book a spot in the tournament championship game with a 2-1 loss to UNCG in Friday’s semifinal round.

Purvis was handed the loss to fall to 20-12 on the season. She matched a season-high with 13 strikeouts and raised her tournament total to 38. Purvis was charged with just one earned run and gave up just three hits in the game.

Georgia Southern would then lose again to UNCG 11-2.

For Purvis’ career, she has a school-record 61 wins and 757 strikeouts.

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